Consider signing up for the Albert Lea Tribune’s Text Alerts service. Ponder this:

During the June 17 tornado outbreak, power went out in many places across the Albert Lea area in southern Minnesota. That left the Internet disabled in homes and businesses.

And that left cell phones in use. But people had a difficult time speaking via their cell phones because so many people were trying to communicate at once. Either they couldn’t get through, or, if they did, they would talk for a short time before the call was dropped.

What worked a lot better during the emergency was text messaging.

And one way people were alerted to National Weather Service warnings was via the Text Alerts. And they also received the messages to take cover through the Text Alerts.

If nothing else, we suggest signing up for the “breaking news” part of the Text Alerts. Not only will you find out about the latest breaking news, it could save your life.

Most subscribers for Text Alerts did get the warnings. However, if you have Text Alerts and didn’t receive the messages until hours later, speak with your cellular provider. Some of them work better in stormy weather than others.